The last soldiers to die in World War I

[hmfc_steve]

Lest we forget the futility of WW1.... or indeed any war....

 

The respected American author Joseph E Persico has calculated a shocking figure that the final day of WWI would produce nearly 11,000 casualties, more than those killed, wounded or missing on D-Day, when Allied forces landed en masse on the shores of occupied France almost 27 years later.

What is worse is that hundreds of these soldiers would lose their lives thrown into action by generals who knew that the Armistice had already been signed.

The recklessness of General Wright, of the 89th American Division, is a case in point.

Seeing his troops were exhausted and dirty, and hearing there were bathing facilities available in the nearby town of Stenay, he decided to take the town so his men could refresh themselves.

"That lunatic decision cost something like 300 casualties, many of them battle deaths, for an inconceivable reason," says Mr Persico...........

source : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7696021.stm

[Ray Winstone]

While we all agree that its sad etc...

 

This article is extremely poorly written and is a fairly bad read to be honest.

 

I particularly enjoy the fact that the American officer who take his troops to freshen up is accused of 'throwing them into action'

 

The only story there which goes along with that statement is when Henry Gunther's death is described.

 

troops died needlessly through out the first world war (eg Gallipoli and the Australians) and all this article does is degrade the memories of the troops that did die on the last day of the war by trying to say that they died for no cause, when it would be much better for them to be remembered as dying for their country.